Vehicle parking space locking device

ABSTRACT

A device for use in combination with a substantially unenclosed parking space such as under a carport or a reserved parking space to selectively permit ingress and egress from the parking space comprising an erectable barrier means operatively mounted in the surface of said parking space to be selectively raised and lowered to thereby control the movement of vehicular traffic into or out of said parking space, means for raising and lowering said barrier from the surface of said parking space and a means for releasably maintaining the barrier in its raised position.

Umted States Patent 1151 3,660,935 Boots 1 May 9, 1972 s41 VEHICLE PARKING SPACE LOKING 2,649,341 8/1953 Stepler ..49/131 x DEVICE 2,883,780 4/1959 Goodman 3,086,430 I 4/l963 Emmel Inventor: Patrick Boots, 9150 Gulf y. 3,45 l,l64 6/1969 Kappelman ..49/35 Houston, Tex. 77017 Primary E.\'aminerDennis L. Taylor [22] Fned' 1970 Attorney-Ralph R. Browning [211 App]. No.: 22,756 1 [57] ABSTRACT [52] U.S.Cl. ..49/35, 49/49, 49/131 A device for use in combination with a substantially unen- [51] 1111.01. ..E01113/00 closed p r ing pa e such as under a carport or a reserved 581 Field of Search ..49/49, 35, 1 31, 132, 133, 134 P g space to selectively Permit ingress and 921655 from the parking space comprising an erectable barrier means opera- 56 1 References Cited tively mounted in the surface of said parking space to be selectively raised and lowered to thereby control the movement of 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS vehicular traffic into or out of said parking space, means for 1 raising and lowering said barrier from the surface of said park- 21362912 1 l/ Logan "49/49 x ing space and a means for releasably maintaining the barrier in 2,588,502 3/1952 Dunn ..49/35 its raised posmbm 2,624,307 H1953 Caffrey 49/]31 UX 2,637,920 5/1953 Stratton ..49/49 X 11 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures ll 22 1 it:

PATENTEDMAY 9 I972 3,660,935

PATRICK 1?. 5007's INVENTOR.

A TTORNEY VEHICLE PARKING SPACE LOCKING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device for controlling the movement of vehicular traffic into -or out of a vehicle parking space. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device for use in conjunction with a substantially unenclosed parking space to prevent unauthorized occupancy of the same or to prevent unauthorized removal of a vehicle from the same.

In multi-unit apartment complexes, parking facilities for vehicles owned by the tenants generally consist of carports with assigned parking places or completely open parking spaces, completely enclosed parking areas such as that provided by a garage not being available. While the use of a carport or other such covering gives some protection against weather and thereby protects the car in this respect, a carport is wholly inadequate as a means of preventing theft of the vehicle from the parking space. It is well-known that the theft of vehicles from apartment complexes is high and is increasing at an alarming rate. While proper locking of a car discourages its theft, it does not absolutely prevent it as is well evidenced by the number of locked cars which are stolen each year.

Other than the possible theft of a vehicle from an unenclosed parking space, vehicle parking in apartment complexes and any other place where assigned parking is used presents the problem of unauthorized use of a reserved parking space. It is not uncommon for a reserved parking space to be occupied by an unauthorized vehicle thus leaving the one authorized to use the parking place without a space to leave his vehicle. Such occurrences are not only annoying but often lead to the damage of cars when attempts are made to remove the unauthorized vehicle from the parking space.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide,

'in combination with a substantially planar surface for receiving a vehicle, a device for selectively permitting ingress and egress therefrom.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device which prevents the theft of a vehicle from a substantially unenclosed parking space.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide, in combination with a parking space, a device for preventing unauthorized occupancy of the same.

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the drawings, the description herein and the appended claims.

The device of the present invention, which, when used in combination with a substantially planar space for receiving a vehicle, accomplishes the above objects, comprises an erectable barrier means operatively mounted in the surface of said planar space, means for raising and lowering the erectable barrier with reference to the planar surface and means for releasably maintaining the erectable barrier in its raised position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a fragmentary isometric view showing the device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, the device being disposed in a planar surface.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an environmental view showing the use of the present invention in combination with typical parking spaces.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a rigid tubular member fixedly attached to a housing 11 on one end by welding or some suitable means. concentrically mounted within rigid tubular member 10 is tubular member 12 constructed of some non-corrosive, resilient material such as plastic, hard rubber, etc. An erectable barrier means comprising rigid tubular member 13 is slidably mounted through housing 11 and within tubular member 12 so as to telescope in and out of tubular member 12. Handle 14, attached to cover plate 15 mounted on the end of tubular member 13, allows tubular member 13 to be manually raised and lowered out of tubular member 12. Housing 11 is equipped with drain hole 16, discussed more fully below, and slot 17 through which extends latching bar 18. Lock 19 serves the purpose of locking tubular member 13 in the raised or lowered position as will be explained more fully below. Guide bar 20, fixedly attached to the bottom cap 21 of the tubular member 12, is a rigid flat bar which extends through slot 22 in the bottom plate 23 of tubular member 13 and serves to prevent tubular member 13 from rotating relative to tubular member 12. Attached atop guide bar 20 is stop plate 24 which is of a size to be larger than slot 22 to thereby prevent tubular member 13 from being completely removed from the device.

Drain pipe 25 extends from the bottom of tubular member 12 up and through housing 11 exiting through drain hole 16. Drain pipe 25 in conjunction with drain hole provides a means to remove accumulated water from tubular member 12. As tubular member 13 is lowered into tubular member 12, any water in the bottom of member 13 will be forced into drain pipe 25 and eventually out through drain hole 16. This pumping action" will be exerted each time tubular member 13 is lowered into tubular member 12. A suitable weather seal 26 is disposed between housing II and tubular member 13 so as to minimize the entrance of water into the interior of the device. Look 19 can also be weather sealed by well-know techniques. In place, tubular member 10 is embedded in concrete, shown generally at 27, tubular member 12 extending downwardly into the ground 28. The concrete 27 can extend and completely encircle both tubular member 10 and tubular member 12 if desired rather than just tubular member 10.

FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 show the details of the locking and latching mechanism of the device of the instant invention. Latching bar 18, a flat rigid bar, is pivotally mounted in housing 11 by means of pivot pin 29 and upper and lower bushings 30 and 31 which space latching bar 18 from the inside top and bottom surfaces of housing 11. Biasing spring 32, which can be either of the compression or extension type, is secured to housing 1 I and latching bar 18 and is so disposed as to urge latching bar 18 against tubular member 13 such that when tubular member 13 is raised sufficiently, latching bar 18 will automatically engage transverse groove 33 located in tubular member 13. Transverse groove 33 is located at a point on tubular member 13 such that when it is engaged by latching bar 18 a length of tubular member 13 sufficient to bar traffic flow will extend above the planar surface. To release latching bar 18 and allow tubular member 13 to recede into tubular member 12, it is only necessary to move latching bar 18 away from tubular member 13 thereby disengaging member 18 from groove 33. In the preferred case, tubular member 13 also has a second transverse groove, 330, located at a point such that when tubular member 13 is in its lowered position, bar 18 will engage groove 33a.

Lock 19 provides a means whereby latching bar 18 may be maintained in transverse groove 33 to thereby prevent an unauthorized person from lowering tubular member 13. As also seen, lock 19 can be utilized to lock tubular member 13 in its lowered position as well. As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, plunger 35 of lock 19 can be alternately moved in and out of cylinder 36 of lock 19 by the action of key 37. To lock latching bar 18 into place, once it has engaged either transverse groove 33 or 33a it is only necessary that key 37 be rotated to the proper position such that plunger 35 drops into a suitable aperture in latching bar 18 thereby preventing any lateral movement of latching bar 18.

The use of the device of the instant invention in combination with a parking space is best shown by reference to the environmental view depicted in FIG. 5. Parking space 38 having therein vehicle 39 and parking space 40 being empty both show the device of the present invention in the raised position. With tubular member 13 in the raised position and locked in both cases, vehicle 39 cannot be removed from parking space 38 inasmuch as parking space 38 contains only a single means of ingress and egress. Likewise, no vehicle may enter parking space 40, having also a single mode of ingress and egress, without encountering tubular member 13. Thus, as seen, the theft of vehicle 39 from parking space 38 is effectively prevented, and the unauthorized occupancy of parking space 40 is likewise prevented. While parking spaces 38 and 40, as shown, have a single mode of ingress and egress, it is conceivable that they could be designed whereby ingress and egress could be accomplished from opposite ends. in the latter case, it would only be necessary to install the device at opposing ends. As previously mentioned, parking spaces with which the device of the present invention is used, can be under carports, in large scale parking lots, and numerous other locales where vehicles are being parked and it is desired to prevent theft thereof or to prohibit occupancy of assigned parking spaces.

While as shown, the erectable barrier means in combination with the planar surface, i.e., the parking space, is basically a tubular member which can be raised vertically out of the planar surface, other means are useful in the combination proposed herein. For example, an erectable barrier which could alternately be moved from a horizontal position adjacent the planar surface to a vertical position substantially perpendicular to the planar surface and being hingedly mounted at the planar surface could also be employed.

Generally, the erectable barrier means will take the form of an elongate rigid member. The erectable barrier means need not take the form of a tubular member as shown and described. A tubular member offers the most convenient in terms of construction, ease with which weathertight seals can be made and economy. However, the erectable barrier means, corresponding to the movable tubular member can have virtually any shape, need not be tubular and need only be rigid so as to prevent a vehicle from passing over it.

When the erectable barrier means comprises a rigid member capable of being vertically raised and lowered out of the planar surface, the means for raising and lowering the erectable barrier means will comprise a receiving means into which at least the greater part of the erectable barrier means can be lowered. Such a receiving means need not be a tubular member, and can take virtually any shape depending on the shape of the erectable barrier means. For example, if the planar surface is a concrete surface whereby the housing can be securely fastened to the concrete, the receiving means could simply be a hole into which the erectable barrier means, i.e., the movable tubular member, is dropped. Moreover, should the erectable barrier means be an I-beam or other such structural member having a flanged end, the receiving means need not be tubular but could consist of a member having recesses in which the flanges could slide such that the rigid member could be moved upwardly and downwardly in the receiving means. Numerous other combinations of rigid erectable members and receiving means will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

While as shown, the erectable barrier means, i.e., the movable tubular member is raised manually from the receiving tubular member, it is possible to make provision to have the system motorized whereby an electric motor or the like is used to operate the erectable barrier means. Also, provision could be made to have the system hydraulically powered. However, it is more economical and only slightly less convenient to have the system designed to be used manually. The use of the drain tube in combination with the movable tubular member to obtain the above described pumping action and remove any water which has collected in the bottom of the receiving member, while a novel and desirable feature, is optional and need not be included. Also, other means of removing water from the receiving member can be utilized if desired. Generally, with proper weather-sealing around the movable tubular member and the locking means, there is little chance of accumulation of water in the receiving means, i.e., the stationary tubular member.

In the preferred embodiment shown in the figures, the receiving means comprises an outer rigid tubular member of a material such as steel, aluminum or other metallic construction which is considerably shorter than the movable tubular member and a tubular insert made of a material such as plastic, hard rubber, or the like. This type construction has the advantage of being cheaper and also of minimizing maintenance problems inasmuch as materials such as plastic, rubber, etc., are not subject to corrossion, rot, or rust. it is, however, perfectly possible to dispense with the non-corroding insert and construct the device of a single stationary or fixed tubular member extending sufficiently downwardly into the surface to receive at least the greater part of the movable tubular member. When an insert is used, it will generally have a cross-sectional shape like that of the movable and fixed tubular members and be of a cross-sectional area slightly less than that of the outer fixed tubular member and slightly greater than that of the movable tubular member. Thus the insert will fit snugly inside the fixed tubular member but allow the movable tubular member to slide in and out thereof. The length of the insert need only be sufficient to allow the movable tubular member to recede to its lowered position.

The means to maintain the movable tubular member in its raised position is not limited to the spring loaded bar shown in the drawings and described above. Other retaining means may be employed with equally efficient results. For example, one such mechanism could comprise a pin which slides into a hole drilled into the side of the movable tubular member, suitable locking means being provided to lock the pin in place. Also, an arrangement similar to a ratchet and pawl combination could be employed. In general, any means whereby the movable tubular member can be releasably held in a raised position can be employed.

Any type locking mechanism by which the erectable barrier means can be kept from being operated by an unauthorized person is acceptable. Combination locks, time locks, or simple key-operated locks as shown can all be employed. While not necessary, it is generally preferable that the device be designed such that the movable tubular member can be locked either in the raised or lowered position. This, of course, prevents having the tubular member raised, unbeknownst to the owner of a vehicle parked in the parking space. This can easily be accomplished as described above by providing the movable tubular member with a second transverse groove located on said movable tubular member at a point such that when said movable tubular member is in its lowered position, the latching bar engages the second transverse groove. In this fashion, the locking means can be used to lock the erectable barrier means, i.e., the movable tubular member, in both the raised and lowered positions.

I claim:

1. ln combination with a substantially planar surface for receiving a vehicle, the improvement comprising an erectable barrier means for selectively permitting ingress and egress of a vehicle to and from said planar surface, means for raising and lowering said barrier means with reference to said planar surface and means to releasably maintain said erectable barrier means in the raised position, said erectable barn'er means comprising a rigid elongate member and said means for raising and lowering said barrier means comprising a receiving means in said planar surface whereby at least the greater part of said rigid elongate member can be vertically disposed below said planar surface into said receiving means, said receiving means having integrally connected therewith on the end substantially flush with said planar surface a housing, said housing having an aperture therein such that said rigid elongate member can extend through said housing to be raised and lowered within said receiving means, said means for releasably maintaining said rigid elongate member in a raised position being mounted in said housing.

2. The combination of claim 1 including locking means for locking said erectable barrier means in the raised position.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said locking means also serves to lock said erectable barrier means in the lowered position.

4. The combination of claim 2 wherein said rigid elongate member comprises a first tubular member and said receiving means comprises a second tubular member, said second tubular member having one end substantially flush with said planar surface.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said first and second tubular members have substantially the same cross-sectional shape.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said cross-sectional shape is substantially circular.

7. The combination of claim 4 wherein said first tubular member has a first groove transverse to its long axis, and said means for releasably maintaining said first tubular member in said raised position comprises a movable bar within said housing, said bar being disposed so as to be engagable in said groove to thereby maintain said first tubular member in a raised position, said first groove being located at a point on said first tubular member such that when said bar engages said groove a length of said first tubular member sufiicient to bar vehicular traffic extends above said planar surface.

d. The combination of claim 7 wherein said bar is pivotally 'mounted and resiliently biased against said first tubular member.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein said first tubular member has a second groove transverse to its long axis, said second groove being located on said first tubular member at a point such that when said first tubular member is in its lowered position, said bar engages said second groove.

10. The combination of claim 4 wherein said second tubular member is shorter than said first tubular member and there is a third tubular member concentrically mounted in said second tubular member, said third member having the same general cross-sectional shape as said first and second tubular members, the cross-sectional area of said third tubular member being slightly less than the cross-sectional area of said second tubular member and slightly larger than the cross-sectional area of said first tubular member whereby the outside surface of said third tubular member fits snugly against the inside surface of said second tubular member and said first tubular member is slidable in said third tubular member, said third tubular member being of a length sufficient to receive said first tubular member when said first tubular member is in the lowered position, said third tubular member being constructed of a non-corroding material.

11. The combination of claim '1 including means to remove water accumulation from said receiving means.

0 s i s 0 

1. In combination with a substantially planar surface for receiving a vehicle, the improvement comprising an erectable barrier means for selectively permitting ingress and egress of a vehicle to and from said planar surface, means for raising and lowering said barrier means with reference to said planar surface and means to releasably maintain said erectable barrier means in the raised position, said erectable barrier means comprising a rigid elongate member and said means for raising and lowering said barrier means comprising a receiving means in said planar surface whereby at least the greater part of said rigid elongate member can be vertically disposed below said planar surface into said receiving means, said receiving means having integrally connected therewith on the end substantially flush with said planar surface a housing, said housing having an aperture therein such that said rigid elongate member can extend through said housing to be raised and lowered within said receiving means, said means for releasably maintaining said rigid elongate member in a raised position being mounted in said housing.
 2. The combination of claim 1 including locking means for locking said erectable barrier means in the raised position.
 3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said locking means also serves to lock said erectable barrier means in the lowered position.
 4. The combination of claim 2 wherein said rigid elongate member comprises a first tubular member and said receiving means comprises a second tubular member, said second tubular member having one end substantially flush with said planar surface.
 5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said first and second tubular members have substantially the same cross-sectional shape.
 6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said cross-sectional shape is substantially circular.
 7. The combination of claim 4 wherein said first tubular member has a first groove transverse to its long axis, and said means for releasably maintaining said first tubular member in said raised position comprises a movable bar within said housing, said bar being disposed so as to be engagable in said groove to thereby maintain said first tubular member in a raised position, said first groove being located at a point on said first tubular member such that when said bar engages said groove a length of said first tubular member sufficient to bar vehicular traffic extends above said planar surface.
 8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said bar is pivotally mounted and resiliently biased against said first tubular member.
 9. The combination of claim 8 wherein said first tubular member has a second groove transverse to its long axis, said second groove being located on said first tubular member at a point such that when said first tubular member is in its lowered position, said bar engages said second groove.
 10. The combination of claim 4 wherein said second tubular member is shorter than said first tubular member and there is a third tubular member concentrically mounted in said second tubular member, said third member having the same general cross-sectional shape as said first and second tubular members, the cross-sectional area of said third tubular member being slightly less than the cross-sectional area of said second tubular member and slightly larger than the cross-sectional area of said first tubular member whereby the outside surface of Said third tubular member fits snugly against the inside surface of said second tubular member and said first tubular member is slidable in said third tubular member, said third tubular member being of a length sufficient to receive said first tubular member when said first tubular member is in the lowered position, said third tubular member being constructed of a non-corroding material.
 11. The combination of claim 1 including means to remove water accumulation from said receiving means. 